'No Complaining Rule' at Hudson Maxim School

How are things at the Hudson Maxim School?

And according to principal Tracey Hensz, that condition is not an accident. Hensz told the Board of Education last week that she implemented a program at the start of the year that emphasized positive motivation, reduced complaining and asked staff and  the school’s kindergarten and first grade students to find the good parts of the day’s activities, not only the bad parts.

 She said the program was based on two sources:  Books, “The No Complaining Rule,” and “The Energy Bus,”  and the child’s version of the Energy Bus, and a website that through iconic characters, promotes the theme, “Life is good.”

The goal was to enthuse the students with the love of learning and the desire to be in school, Hensz said. According to Hensz, Guidance Counselor Lisa Schuffenhauer was a key contributor to the program.

The Energy Bus book for children was a key find, she said, because it focused on overcoming challenges and remaining positive.

 The theme was evident in classrooms and classwork, during school field days and in talks with students and parents, she said.

After recess at the beginning of the year, Hensz said, a student came to her to complain that he has not been able to play on the swings because his class did not get a chance because of the number of students.

The impact of the program, Hensz said, was evident in the number of office referrals she addressed. In 2011-12, 86 students were referred to her office for some sort of incident or issue, she said. In 2012-13, that number dropped to 20.

The program came full circle, first grade teacher Doreen Sciabica said, when at the end of the year, she was at a table holding her head in her hands because it was one of those days, when a little girl came to her and said, “It’s A-OK, Life if good.”

 “At the beginning of the year, I was telling that to students, and by the end of the year, they were telling me it’s A-OK,” Sciabica said.